Since clothing and other articles come in various sizes, it has heretofore been customary practice to mold hangers in a range of sizes, each size being adapted to effectively support garments of a limited size range. To effectively suspend a garment by means of clamps, particularly for display, it is necessary that the spacing of the clamps permit them to grip the garment reasonably close to each end. If clamps are so close together that they are significantly spaced from the ends of the garment, the ends will fold down. This is not acceptable for either transport or display. On the other hand, if the clamps are too far apart only the very ends of the garment can be gripped and this is also unacceptable. The need for a range of sizes has heretofore necessitated the design and making of a number of molds, each mold being devoted to production of hangers of one particular size. Thus, the hanger manufacturer has to have a substantial investment in tooling. Further, this arrangement makes it necessary to maintain an inventory of each hanger size, in order to be capable of satisfying various customer needs.
The purpose of this invention is to obviate the need for the manufacture of a range of hangers each of a particular size by making it possible to satisfy all of the needs with a hanger of a single size, so constructed that the spacing between the clamps which actually grip the garment can be adjusted in accordance with the requirements of the garment. Even if the size range is too great for a single size of hanger, the invention reduces the number of sizes to a very few, each capable of handling a significant range of clothing sizes. This permits a single hanger design to satisfy a wide range of customer requirements. Further, it greatly increases convenience for the customer since customer needs with respect to hanger requirements change from time to time and can be immediately satisfied. In the past, customers had to maintain a supply of hangers of various sizes to satisfy these needs. This invention makes it possible normally to satisfy all of the customer's needs for article clamping hangers from a stock of hangers all of the same size and type merely by readjusting the hanger to the particular requirements of the customer at that particular time. This is both a convenience and a substantial reduction in hanger inventory investment as well as manufacturing and retail facility logistics.
However, making an article clamping hanger so that it is readily adjustable in width without also making it both costly and clumsy to use, involves the solution of a number of structural and functional problems. Among other things, it was necessary to develop a simple means permitting article clamp position adjustment while providing position stability while in use to prevent the clamps from being pulled toward each other as a result of the weight of the article suspended between the clamps. This is necessary, particularly in the case of garments, because it is desirable to apply some degree of tension to the garment between the clamps so that it will have a neat appearance. This is particularly true where the hanger is utilized for retail display. It was also necessary to prevent the clamps from pivoting about their support so that the garment would be properly draped and displayed and also to facilitate securing and removing the garment from the hanger. These problems had to be solved by relatively simple means both to keep the cost of the hanger within an acceptable range and also to prevent the use of the hanger from becoming complex and difficult and, thus, user antagonistic.